I was reading this fascinating article about Belgium not having a government for 450 days. I was in awe that nobody seemed to care and that the country is still running fine. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/05/belgium-no-government-2011_n_949284.html This of course spawned crazy ideas in my head like, "Why would the citizens of Belgium have to pay taxes?" I mean if you had no government why would you pay for services you were not getting? All of this thinking of course, led to the operative question and thus the subject of this Frankenstein Government Black Friday 4 a.m. rant.

How would my life change if the Federal Government suddenly quit running?

For thirty minutes now- I have given this some thought. And I'll be damned if the only thing I can think of is that the United States Post Office would quit delivering junk mail and bills to my house. I would not get any more of those 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

I'm not kidding. If the Federal Government packed up and quit tomorrow, I don't think I'd notice.

I don't receive any benefits from the Feds. I don't ask for any secret service, FBI, CIA, or TSA help. I have never received any social assistance- no food stamps or disability payments. The people fighting wars, soldiers, could quit and come home. Immigration or ICE have not prevented the 20 million illegal aliens already here. I would have no need for air traffic controllers because I don't have to fly. No need for the Dept. of Energy because they are already allowing me to get scalped for 3.50 a gallon. No need for the Dept of Education because they didn't help me get educated. I don't need the Food and Drug or ATF. I have all the drugs I need, I gave up on alcohol and tobacco. I have plenty of firearms and if I need more- I won't have to fill out those stupid forms.

Come to think of it, I haven't needed anything from the Federal Government my entire life. In fact, everything the Feds do, the state already does for me. Like highways. Can guys like me just opt out? I mean, if I haven't needed anything from the Feds for 35 years, why am I paying taxes? What exactly have I gotten for that 562,417.75 that I have paid in?

Highways you say? Isn't that where all that gas tax goes?

If a guy never turns on his TV for 35 years, it seems a little stupid to pay the cable company every month, doesn't it? Can I get a refund or just quit paying?

Four hundred and fifty days of no government. No wars, no casualties. No Obama, Bernanke, no Republican debate bullshit every week. No Eric Holder, no bad news, no TSA, no Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. No GM. No Solyndra, no Gun Walker. No junk mail, bills, or IRS tax forms in the mail.

Come to think of it, no Frankenstein Government. Lots to like. So tell me. Please remind me how much I need government again because I forget. I think Belgium might be on to something here. Something tells me they are going to take plenty of time before jumping back into this government thing again.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Last night I stumbled across a radio clip of a lawyer who was fighting the Food and Drug Administration. It seems the government, the FDA, has now decided that it is in the business of regulating mobile software applications that are being developed and used by doctors.

The lawyer on the radio clip was talking about a specialized physician who had developed a software application with a bunch of lengthy mathematical calculations. He would input a specific patient's data. He was using the software to determine the dimensions of cancerous breast tissue, triangulate the dimensions, and then bombard it with the appropriate amount of radiation. He was doing this to prevent over or under dosing- to deliver the appropriate amount of radiation. The doctor's software saved time and was safe. It had the proper calculations pre loaded and prevented math errors.

The FDA told him to quit using the software and that he could not sell it. This of course is what government does best. It interferes in places it has no business in nor was the FDA designed to regulate software applications.

The FDA claims it has the responsibility to oversee software applications if they do not work as intended. Wow. Why doesn't the FDA just say it is their responsibility to oversee every physician in the United States to make sure they work as intended?

Here is a copy of the FDA's mission statement in 2003:

"The FDA's mission is to promote and protect the public health by helping safe and effective products reach the market in a timely way, and monitoring products for continued safety after they are in use. Our work is a blending of law and science aimed at protecting consumers."

I wasn't able to find a place in that mission statement wherein the FDA could claim that they are now in the software regulating business but apparently they have decided to do just that. Researching online- I found several articles on this- some pro and some con. It appears that this latest over reach occurred last summer. Here's kind of a non-biased report. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20081086-38/fda-seeking-to-regulate-mobile-medical-apps/

This is a perfect illustration of how a seemingly harmless event turns into a bureaucratic nightmare. The FDA's original proposal seems well intended. So people give it a nod. Nobody stops to think- well just who are they going to target? What apps are they going to pick and choose to regulate? Are they going to literally try and manage the thousands of applications that will crop up? Are they going to go to court over every one? To me, this is like opening Pandora's box. Everyone suffers and patients who would receive the best and most accurate care will be denied that care while the FDA screws with software applications. And it doesn't really have a damn thing to do with why we invented the FDA in the first place. Of course now- that becomes the argument. What we are really talking about is a government that has decided to try and micro manage it's citizens and enlarge the scope of it's operations. This is what I call the anti- Covey...lose...lose...lose scenario. Software developers suffer. Doctors and patients suffer. The tax payers suffer. All of this occurs because somebody is afraid to put their foot down and tell the FDA "no." Of course the central planning statists think this is a good idea. They always think more government is a good idea. Just as long as someone else pays for it.

Swiped this from the "Golden Truth" who swiped it from someone else. Perfect.

"The world will soon wake up to the reality that everyone is broke and can collect nothing from the bankrupt, who are owed unlimited amounts by the insolvent, who are attempting to make late payments on a bank holiday in the wrong country, with an unacceptable currency, against defaulted collateral, of which nobody is sure who holds title."

Bankers have absolutely no interest in ever disclosing the truth about their insolvency. Why? Because if there is ever a hint of insolvency, thousands of people run to their bank and draw out all of their money. That money is needed to support fractional reserve lending. Without it, banks collapse. Investors sell banking stock like it's on fire and drive the price down. Bankers and their shareholder boards- don't like that.

Therefore, if you were a banker, what incentive would you have to tell the truth when your bank is leaking oil?

Answer- none. In fact, bankers would be motivated to lie. Which is precisely what has been going on since 2007. Kick the can and hope things improve.

My favorite lying and thieving bank is Bank of America. I told readers right here, (search the archives) to short this bank two years ago around 18. It now trades for 5 and change. Now even the great Warren Buffett has sunk 5 billion into that oil leaking piece of banking junk. Sometimes Warren you eat the bear- sometimes the bear eats you. With the BAC investment- I'll refer to Warren as "dinner."

I am not kidding you one bit when I tell you that big banks are still valuing real estate that they own at 2006 prices. These ridiculous and inflated asset valuations are the only method that banks can use to create the appearance of solvency. If these banks were forced to value "assets" at real and current prices- all hell would break loose again.

By law, bankers are allowed to engage in some of the greatest and most deceptive accounting standards ever devised. Let me call them what they are. Bullshit. Mark to fantasy accounting. Who designed the laws that allow this? Bank financed congressmen. Funny how that works. The FED encourages this practice because they too, operate under a cloak of secrecy designed to make you think they can bail out the world with the secret trillions they have in reserve. That is another fantastic piece of bullshit. A freedom of information act request revealed that our Federal Reserve loaned 16 trillion dollars at the height of the banking collapse in 2008. That is 16,000 billion. If you actually think the FED just happens to have 16 trillion laying around waiting to bail out the world, you might need a CAT scan. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/21/audit-fed-gave-16-trillion-in-emergency-loans/

So how did they do it? Quite simply, they add electronic zeroes to balance sheets.

American banks are exposed (derivatives) and levered to/with european banks. So the FED is going to engage in another round of make believe stress tests. Tests designed to calm all of our fears, bolster confidence, and avoid another mad dash for bullion. If you think for one second, that any big American bank will fail any of these stress tests, I will personally find the highest bridge in America and jump off. They'll even find a way to polish that big turd- Bank of America. You watch and see.

It's been nearly 5 years since the bankers socialized their losses and stuck American taxpayers with the bill. The Wizard of Oz, Ben Bernanke, is busy pulling levers and continuing to engage in cheer leading exercises. Exercises designed to help politicians get re-elected. The euro and european union are on the verge of complete collapse. If you think American banks are insulated from that mess you are wrong. The FED's actions are so predictable- that they are laughable. I am in absolute awe that they have managed to maintain this charade of solvency for 5 years. That all of these new stress tests are designed to do- is to extend that charade. In the meantime, the US Debt clock keeps churning away.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

For the record. I was born in 1960. I am a a "baby boomer" albeit very late in that cycle and generation. (The boomer generation ended in 1964) I am officially "retired" but if the right kind of job came along- I might un-retire. I was a government worker long before being a government worker was cool. But more on that in a bit.

For the last 5 or 6 years, I have been doing a great deal of reading and a great deal of public writing. Very often when reading stories about baby boomers, I find the hate filled rants of Gen X and Gen Y writers. I have to tell you. I am getting sick of that whine. Here is a typical rant- stolen from ZeroHedge.

There are good people in your generation, but most are fucking spoiled. Any young person working in customer service or a business which serves them knows this to be true. The Boomers here can junk away... it doesn't change the truth.
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I was ten years old when Nixon officially took us off the gold standard. I couldn't stop that. I graduated from high school and went to college, state school. I worked full time. I didn't qualify for student loans nor did I get much in the way of free money (grants). When I lost my job in 1981, the economy was horrible. I couldn't change that. I worked 3 part time jobs. Two jobs paid less than 5 bucks an hr., one was volunteer. I finished law enforcement school in 1982. My first job paid 1000 dollars a month in 1983 with an all you can eat shit boo fay served up by jail inmates. My rent was 400.

I worked the better part of 25 years as a cop and I spent the last seven as the Chief in a small town. I have never owned a new vehicle. I saved 20% down for a puny home. I did not take a second mortgage out on my house even though every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the block was doing it. I paid cash for everything. I saved. In fact, my savings sans the government theft penalty has bailed me out of this financial mess (2007-2011) which was caused by a bought and paid for Congress and greedy bankers.

Ok, enough of that walking 20 miles to school through the snow schtick.

During the 90's, Gen X and Gen Y start coming up and through our ranks. We hired a bunch of them. They bought big ass trucks, financed houses, and did all of the stupid financial shit that greedy Americans do. They took out second mortgages and bought toys. Boats, sleds, campers, motorcycles. Some bought second homes.

In a boomer law enforcement management class sometime in the late 90's, I remember sticking up for Gen X and Gen Y members. The boomers were calling them lazy, latch key kids. I said that was bullshit. I maintained they were no different than we were. They were simply raised under different circumstances. I still argue that point. Like us, Gen X and Y were simply trying to make the most amount of money with the least amount of work. That folks- is a conspiracy. The greatest conspiracy ever. The most amount of money with the least amount of work. That is the national dream.

Bankers have perfected that skill.

The point I am trying to make with Gen X and Gen Y is that the boomers are just as powerless to stop this corporate kleptocracy as they are. We didn't invent the kleptocracy, it simply evolved. Regrettably, there is not a hell of a lot that anyone can do about it. In every generation, there are a handful of greedy and elite. They run this place. We have a larger supply of them simply because of the size of our demographic. But there is also a larger portion of people like me. People who worked and saved, people who don't get food stamps, people that didn't buy Jaguars because our ego demanded it. People that know a little bit about who the villains are.

Villains are found in every layer of generational strata.

What specifically have Gen X and Gen Y done to differentiate themselves from the mis-deeds of the baby boomers? As near as I can tell, nothing. We are all cut from the same cloth and just because you were born this year instead of that year, doesn't mean a fucking thing. Your generations will grow older and you will have your share of self serving politicians, judges, and greedy bankers with a FED willing to sell you into debt slavery just like the generations of Americans that have preceded you. Now on to the big finish.

There is no solution in isolating one group and castigating them. We all know that is bullshit. Strength is in unity. United, the boomers, Gen X and Gen Y, have a chance of beating back the real villains in our culture. We have a culture of political and corporate greed. We have a political class with no courage and no sense of what a civil servant really is. They are monopolizing our political system. We have a criminal corporate banking structure which privatizes profits but socializes losses and dumps them on the taxpayer with the help of paid for politicians. These people are inherently dishonest. They are destroying this country. They have plunged us into a debt slavery abyss from which there is no exit. Their ages do not matter two shits to me. I'd like to identify every last one of them and get rid of them.

The next time some member of the protected class of Gen X or Gen Y (heh) starts in with the big whiny rant about boomers- ask them what they have done. What specifically have their generations done which is a vast improvement over the boomers? The long silence or stuttering that follows- will be deafening. The sad truth is that Gen X and Gen Y have been just as apathetic as the rest of us. Welcome to the American kleptocracy. Where politicians have an unlimited credit line at the FED- a FED which is more than happy to finance their credit... ad infinitum.

That quote is in my top three favorite all time quotes. John Kennedy said a lot of intelligent things. Personally, I believe that was his best.

I would like to extend a simple premise that one day in the not too distant future- there will be another violent revolution in America. My premise is based on a blend of historical and present day facts. But most importantly, my theory is based on human nature. Human nature has remained relatively constant throughout time. I believe that is a predictable and key element. This time around, just like the last time around, it will come down to a few simple things. Freedom or the lack thereof. Money confiscated from the people who earn it. And an entrenched power structure who believes that they are entitled to govern, to dictate the rules and impose the punishment, and most importantly- to oppress their own people.

It doesn't really matter how these things come about or what anyone's intentions originally were. King or republic, dictatorship or democracy, freedom and the right to one's own work product are important things. An entrenched power structure who compels people to turn over a small portion of their wages will be tolerated. People will not tolerate the loss of freedom through debt slavery. As they try to redress this, the government will entrench themselves in the belief that they have the power and the right to govern. To impose their will upon the citizens. That they need and must have a greater portion of everyone's work product.

The coup de gras will be the governments' unwillingness to negotiate a peaceful resolution. That will light the spark. So far the government has been very successful in prolonging and delaying the inevitable outcome because they have employed deception. They are professional liars and excuse makers. The vast majority of our citizens do not think anything is materially wrong with our government. In fact, most still trust this government. Government they think, would not lie.

We are at the jumping off point in the history of this country. The crossroads. We have a debt burden that we cannot sustain. Europe is on the verge of implosion and so are we. We are demanding that our leaders do something and they do not. They have in effect, told us that they will do what they want. Rather than employ outright defiance they continue to lie and to deceive. To come up with ridiculous solutions designed to shirk and shift responsibility from them onto a protected class of 12 super committee members who are not up for re-election or come from protected districts.

There has been no talk of term limits. No campaign reform. No reconfiguring the tax code. No elimination of lobbyists. No spending reductions. What does Congress have to do to get your attention? Tell you to fuck off? At what point do the American people realize that all of this acting and theater is just bullshit? It's like having a bad employee that has a different excuse, day after day, about how he cannot perform his job- complete with a myriad of deceptive excuses. Would you keep giving this guy a paycheck? Why do we accept this level of horrible performance from these people?

For years, government has been allowed to get away with poor job performance. In fact, we make jokes about it. But the joke has always been on us. If Congress fails to act soon, we are going to arrive at a point where the people of our country will have to start making demands upon Congress- demands to simply perform their jobs. If that does not work and they continue to forcibly steal more and more of our labor, work product, and thus our freedom- we will have moved beyond that place of peaceful negotiation and onto the next level. There is a push from us, then a push back from them. Soon, things escalate. The people with the power and control always think they have the upper hand and that they are right. Ultimately and inevitably they are ousted, one way or the other. In the end, every fallen government and dictatorship has to learn the hard way.

Odd, that our forefathers would put free speech and the right to bear arms near the top of their priority list. It's as though they paid attention to history and actually learned something from it.

That has been the history of things. I see no reason to think that our current government is immune from that.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Xavier Becerra is a "progressive" democrat from California. He is also a lawyer. He is also a member of the super committee which is up against a budget deadline this week that will fail. Even if politicians agree to the minimum 10 year budget cuts of 1.2 trillion- that won't even cover the cost of one year's budget deficit. This year's deficit has been ratcheted up to 1.5 trillion- because people just aren't making any money or paying any taxes.

So those automatic cuts kick in which means they must suck- because Paul Krugman likes them.

So I was reading this interview about the super committee and absolutely marveled at the ridiculousness of a statement made by Representative Becerra. Wallace, the math challenged lefty wouldn't even stop to consider Becerra's math. Progressives aren't big on details like math. Here is the interview portion that I snipped. My big summary is in the white box.

WALLACE: Why couldn't you make a deal?BECERRA: Well, I think for Democrats, we would say that there's still a deal possible, but it's got to be balanced. You can't say you're going to take benefits away from services that people have paid for, like Social Security and Medicare, and not ask wealthiest Americans. Remember, we have 1,400 multimillionaires who didn't pay a single bit of income tax since 2009. Why should they escape participation when we are asking seniors to help cover the costs of the deficits that in the case of Social Security, they didn't cause?WALLACE: I understand that's what Republicans are worried about. You're worried about what you're worried about. Why couldn't you make a deal?BECERRA: Well, there are -- I believe there's a deal out there. I believe there is a better deal than letting automatic cuts decide for us. Chris, that's why I don't that we should call the game over deep in the fourth quarter. We still have an opportunity to go somewhere. Both sides I think have honestly tried to put what they believe would be a good solution on the table.WALLACE: You keep saying, you know, we want to have smart deficit reduction, not stupid deficit reduction. Would you vote to change the triggers, the $1.2 trillion trigger, if there's no deal, and specifically to roll back on some of the defense cuts?BECERRA: You are asking one of the 12 who's asked to do something so we can avoid the triggers. I would want to change the triggers. I got to tell that whether you're one of the 12 on the super committee, or if you are someone who voted for this legislation that created the triggers and the super committee, I think it's a wimpy way out to say we're going to change the triggers because I don't like the result out of the super committee is what I wanted.
We should be prepared --

We have 1400 hundred multi millionaires not paying any tax? No shit. That might be the result of that garbage tax code that CONGRESS is in charge of writing. Every year. That includes you Representative Becerra. Get a load of this...

Let's suppose that each one of those 1400 multi-millionaires makes 50 million a year on average. Let's just say that we are going to take 1/2 of all of their money because we love big central planners and we hate rich people. So we take 25 million dollars each. Ok. 1400 x 25 million equals= 35 billion dollars. That is 35000 million. Every 40 millionaires collectively contributes 1 billion.

Guess what Representative Becerra? Our annual shortfall is running at 125 billion a month. That 35 billion you are gonna get from those 1400 millionaires will cover one week's worth of annual deficits.

That folks, in a nutshell, is why we are completely screwed as a nation. We have idiots like Becerra who are hung up on things like "life ain't fair." It ain't fair because assholes like Becerra make the tax code. Congress does that every year. The tax code doesn't change because the elite pricks in Congress, the beneficiaries, don't want it to change. And guys like Becerra and the rest of Congress whine about it like it's beyond their control. Like it's some gawd damn mystery like Loch Ness or the Yeti. You morons write the tax code!! And if that ain't bad enough- that big bad law degree Becerra (and the rest of his math challenged pals) got from Ivy league schools and places like Stanford clearly hasn't helped him, them, or us when it comes to simple math comprehension. Math challenged progressives.

If I were you guys, I might contemplate a lawsuit to recover part of your tuition. Math damages.